Quick word from the author! 👇Hey everyone, I'm going to be straight with you.I know this might sound a bit needy, but I want to be honest. I've been working non-stop on this zombie novel and I've already crossed the 200,000-word mark… that's basically a whole month of writing every single day without a break. My plan is to keep this pace and drop at least 1,500 words daily.But here's the thing… seeing the view count go up while the comment section stays quiet is a bit discouraging 😅So, if you're following the story, could you do me a huge favor?Let me know what you think in the comments, drop a vote, or throw some Power Stones my way. I'm not asking for coins or anything paid—I just need to know if you guys are enjoying the ride, if I'm on the right track, or if there's something I can improve.Your feedback helps way more than you realize, seriously.We're in this together! 👊
He returned to the computer after the meeting, his head heavy with that kind of weight that wasn't just exhaustion, it was responsibility clinging to his neck. Because up until then he'd been cleaning hallways, shooting, organizing doors; now, no. Now, more than sixty people were looking at him as if he were a ready-made answer, and he hated that because he wasn't a saint, he wasn't a trained leader, he wasn't any of that. He was just a guy trying not to die and preventing others from dying before him. He sat down, pulled the keyboard closer, looked at the lit screen with that mountain of responses from the world still trying to reorganize itself, and began to type the way he felt, without over-editing, without trying to sound nice, just throwing the naked truth into the middle of the internet.
— Building number such-and-such on Fifth Avenue is clean. I repeat, building number such-and-such on Fifth Avenue is clean. If there's anyone in the neighboring building who is an engineer or works in construction, let us know because we can pick them up if the route allows. We are prioritizing women, regardless of whether they are pregnant or children. Men here will only be used for manual labor, that's it, no weaklings here.
He pauses for a second, rereads it, leaves it as it came out, and continues.
— I'm no saint, I'm no savior, I'm no fucking hero. If I can help, I will, but I'm not going to lie to anyone either. We need a doctor, a police officer, someone from the army, the navy, the air force, anyone who knows how to do something useful without panicking.
He's going faster now, because his head was already overflowing with emotion.
— Honestly, we need everything. My thought right now is to take buses and build barricades first, and then construct a retaining wall. I don't know if that works, so I'm asking the general, the engineer, whoever really knows. If my thinking is naive or immature, just tell me and save me time.
He pauses briefly, runs a hand over his face, glances around as if the people on the floor could hear even what he's typing, and finally says what he's been holding back.
— I have over sixty people on my side and I only have three weapons that really matter, and mine are silenced. Besides that, there are at least four people with un-silenced pistols, all trying to play the hero, and that's scaring me more than zombies because the first idiot who decides to show up in this building is going to turn this place into a vertical hell.
He sends it without thinking too much and stares at the screen like someone who threw a bottle into the ocean, waiting to see if there's a reply, if there's mockery, if there's a solution, if there's more weight to it. It doesn't take long at all. The internet was now working like an exposed nerve; any truth hit and bounced back with a vengeance.
The first response comes from a civilian, some random guy from another building.
— civil: finally someone talking like a normal person. Half the people here think they're in a movie.
Another one below.
— civilian: if there's a crazy guy with a gun trying to be a hero, disarm him immediately before he kills someone for no reason.
He almost immediately replied that it wasn't that simple, because disarming armed people requires a level of peace that the world is no longer offering, but he held back and continued reading.
Here comes a response from someone who identifies as a structural engineer from New Jersey.
— Engineer: Buses used as barricades serve to delay and channel traffic, not to stop large masses. It works if you use them as a first line of defense and create a bottleneck. A retaining wall is viable if you have the materials and time. It doesn't work on its own. With a team and a controlled route, maybe.
Another one enters right below.
— Civil engineer: A bus is good as a skeleton. Fill it with rubble, broken concrete, metal, sand, whatever you have. Just parking buses doesn't hold much if the pressure is constant.
He reads it and already feels his head forming an image, buses in a line, calculated space, materials filling the gap, a death corridor for anyone trying to pass. That helps. Another response comes in, this time from someone in the national guard.
— Military: Don't let armed civilians make decisions alone. A pistol without a silencer in a vertical, enclosed environment is an invitation for a mob. Clear rules are needed, or you'll lose the building because of one person's ego.
One more.
— Former police officer: gathers those who are armed, defines protocol and consequences. No one draws a weapon without permission in an internal area. If you don't accept the rules, you're out.
He stares at it and thinks that "street" is now almost a sentence, but at the same time, perhaps that's exactly why it works. More answers begin to pile up.
— Medical advice: Pregnant women and children need a stress-free area without constant stairs. If they can stay on the higher, safer floors, even better, but with a clear evacuation route.
— Civilian: Infant formula will run out quickly, get that first.
— Nurse: We need to quickly distinguish between those who are actually trained in first aid and those who just think they are.
He keeps reading and the flow starts to get heavy again, not from confusion now, but from reality coming in from all sides. Someone from the navy replies. Strange stamp, worn profile, but firm text.
— Navy officer: Your idea isn't immature. It's a start. All perimeter defense begins with what's already there. The problem is execution and maintenance. A barricade without people to guard it is just scenery. A barricade with discipline is defense.
Another response comes next, this time from someone he didn't expect to see so soon, General Hawkins again.
— General Hawkins: It's not naiveté. It's tactical improvisation. And tactical improvisation is keeping more people alive right now than formal protocol. A bus as a first barrier works, as long as you have line of sight, an escape route, and a choke point. A wall comes later. If you try to do the definitive thing before the temporary one, you die in the temporary one.
The sentence hits the nail on the head. He almost shouts "fuck" out loud and continues reading.
— General Hawkins: Regarding your weapons, stop thinking about quantity and think about control. Three of the right weapons with the right people are worth more than ten pistols in the hands of an idiot with delayed testosterone.
He laughs dryly because that was practically a slap in the face to the little heroes without silencers in the building. And it doesn't stop there. Another big name appears, perhaps even bigger in technical weight than in the number of stars, an Israeli military engineer.
— Colonel Yael Ben-Ami: Urban fortification at height requires three things: access control, compartmentalization, and evacuation. If you have four usable floors, turn each one into a layer: one for supplies, one for children and vulnerable individuals, one for rotating rest, and one for combat and response. Never mix everything on the same floor.
It leans forward. That's gold. Compartmentalize. Stop thinking only about "walking safely" and think about function. Another one comes right below.
Colonel Ben-Ami: Windows need partial protection, not blind blocking. You want to prevent airborne entry, but maintain observation. Close low and to the side, keep viewing slits protected.
Another message, this time from a Chinese lieutenant general.
Lieutenant General Liu Wei: Discipline is more important than courage. Remove individual initiative in critical matters. Whoever shoots without internal authorization is not brave, they are a risk.
Someone anonymous will respond below.
— civilian: translating, if the crazy guy starts shooting without a silencer, tell him to shut up or get out.
Another anonymous commenter adds to the score.
— another civilian: either tie him to the chair until he learns
The internet sometimes seemed healthier at the ends of the earth than before. He continues reading, but now he's almost answering in a low voice to the monitor.
— Yeah… I'm coming to that conclusion too.
A new response comes in, this time from someone who has worked in logistics during a natural disaster.
Logistics: Sixty people is a small town. Stop thinking like a group of neighbors and start thinking like an outpost. You need inventory, function, waste disposal, water, shifts, punishment, a rule of silence, medical protocol, and a chain of decision-making. If you don't do it now, you'll do it after the first tragedy.
That phrase sticks. After the first tragedy. Because tragedy there still seemed like a future event, when in reality it had already begun a long time ago. Another answer leans towards the medical side.
— Obstetrician: Two pregnant women in a stressful environment without supervision is a red priority. It's necessary to identify gestational age, risk, history, blood pressure, diet. Milk for the babies and supplements for the mothers. This cannot wait a week.
He makes mental notes and then opens a notepad to jot down everything that matters. Another profile, this time of an electrical engineer.
— Electrical engineer: If you want solar panels, don't just think about the panel itself. Think about the charge controller, battery, inverter, and safety features. Without these, you'll have a nice-looking piece on your roof that's useless when plugged in.
Someone else adds something below.
Solar technician: And rooftops in Manhattan could now be suicide depending on the birds. Assess drones first before even dreaming of installation.
He closes his eyes for a second and breathes. That was it. Every good answer came with two extra complications. Nothing is simple now. And yet he prefers this to an empty answer. Another comment pops up, from a former Marine.
— ex-marine: men are good for physical strength, okay, but don't put every woman in a passive role. See who knows how to do what first. I've seen many people underestimate half the group and die because of it.
He makes a slight grimace because the guy is right and he knows it. That sentence of his was more of a venting than a structured statement. And that's good, because it points out the error early, while it's still possible to correct it. He types a short reply.
That's right. I spoke impulsively. Priority is given to function, not appearance. Those who know how to do the job work where it pays off most.
The response receives swift approval. Another comes from a policewoman.
— Police officer: also be careful about voting for leadership too early. Leadership in a crisis is sometimes a divided function. One for security, one for logistics, one for medicine, one for external decision-making. Putting everything in one person creates a target and leads to collapse.
He reads this and thinks, "Damn...", because yes, that makes more sense. He doesn't want to be king of ruin. He wants to survive. If dividing tasks helps, all the better. Another response comes in, a very human one.
— Civilian: Brother, the way you're writing, it's clear you don't want to be in charge, and that's exactly why people will want you to be in charge.
He stares at the phrase more than he should. Because that kind of crap is usually true even in normal condos, imagine what it's like at the ends of the earth. More commentary. More weight.
— Engineer: If you want to build an external barrier with buses, first you need to guarantee a route to get to them, keys, fuel, a driver, and an escort. The idea isn't bad, but without phasing it's just fantasy.
— civil: translating again, there's no point in dreaming about a wall if you're still fighting over a window.
He lets out a short laugh, not because it's funny, but because the slap felt good. Another response comes, this time from an admiral. Not everything came from the sea itself; sometimes those guys just knew how to organize people and steel.
Admiral Caldwell: You're venting like someone who already understands the magnitude of the problem. That's good. Now turn that venting into a list. A list becomes an order. An order becomes an opportunity.
The phrase sounds silly, yet it's pure utility. He pulls up another file and starts putting it together: internal weapons, shooting rules, compartmentalization, pregnant women, daycare, supplies, windows, drone, power, milk, doctor, bus route, technical team. The list grows, and with it, the building starts to look more real as a base and less like improvised survival. But the internet isn't finished with him yet. A blunt comment appears, probably from another, more screwed-up group.